This is why expressing our appreciation to God is so important. Thanksgiving and praise are among the most effective means of keeping open the channels of communication, the wellspring of relationship between ourselves and God.

Of course, the most effective way of expressing our gratitude to God is to pass His blessings to someone else. A man was on vacation with his son's family at a rented cottage on the New England seashore. On the first day of his vacation, he was out in the yard digging a hole. He was putting out a small plant. As his son observed this strenuous work, he asked his Dad why he was going to such effort to put out a plant when this was not even their cottage. They would not even be returning the next year. The father replied, "Somebody will be here."

"What kind of plant is it?" the son asked. "A century plant," his father replied. "A century plant? You mean it won't bloom for a hundred years?"the son asked. "Not that long," the father explained, "Maybe twenty or thirty years." The boy was astonished. "Why in the world would you come out on this hot morning on your vacation in a rented cottage to put out a plant that won't even bloom for twenty years?" The father paused and looked up at his son. "I saw one the other day, and realized that someone twenty or thirty years ago wanted to share it with me. And so he planted it for my enjoyment. Some day, I said to myself, I'm going to plant one so that people will enjoy it after I'm gone. And that's what I'm doing this morning.

How is the best way to say thank you? It is to pass on our blessings to others.

Ron Newhouse

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